


Moonlight

by LunnarEclipse



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff, One Shot, Romance, look no further for some good hector content, so if that's right up ur alley, there's really no other way to describe this than wholesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 21:55:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16606157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunnarEclipse/pseuds/LunnarEclipse
Summary: Hector stumbles across a mysterious woman on his way to the nearby town, and the two strike up a friendship.





	Moonlight

One of the aspects of living within Castlevania that Hector did not expect was how frequently he’d have to go shopping into town. 

It made sense of course, as the lord of the mansion did not require the usual sustenance both Hector and Isaac needed as humans.

Going out into the nearby towns had become a little ritual Hector learned to enjoy, since he often forgot how warm and  _ alive _ the outside world could be when compared to the cold, melancholic hallways of the castle. 

He found out rather quickly that Isaac would very much rather stay in, as he preferred the cold. Hector did not really understand why, it was always such a nice feeling to be embraced by nature. 

To Hector, it was a break from his usual duties, and he would insist on walking there as it gave him a chance to take in the local scenery (plus he would never subject a horse to carrying him, he is perfectly capable of traveling on his own). 

Dracula mentioned that the nearest village was not too far from the castle, but that Hector should still be careful to not garner too much attention. 

Hector had overheard rumors that his lord’s son Alucard was on the move with a magician and supposedly, one of the surviving members of the Belmont clan.

This was all speculation however, but he still made a mental note in his head to make sure that he wasn’t followed back to the castle. That would surely not end well… 

He sighed, a small frown on his face. If they were ever spotted, they’d have to move, and he did not wish to leave this place yet. He loved how they were surrounded by a large forest, one filled with life. 

Usually when Dracula moved the castle, it would make its home high on a cliffside, or near the top of a very steep mountain, to assure that no humans would willingly stumble across its doors. 

Hector was unsure if they had moved here due to the abundance of wildlife or the close proximity to the village. He was not naive to the fact that the vampire generals Dracula had called upon were growing reckless over the idea of humans becoming extinct, and thus, limiting their food supply.

Hector could care less what happened to the humans in the end, but these petty squabbles were nonetheless irritating.

He adjusted the bag on his shoulder, and pushed aside a stray branch as he made his way through the thick underbrush. Slight confusion crossed his face when he picked up the sound of feint humming, and he felt his eyes widen and a gasp catch in his throat when his gaze landed on the scene before him.

A woman was sitting in the nearby clearing on an aging old tree stump. Animals stood all around her, as if they had been entranced by her song. 

Birds pecked at the grass that coiled around her feet, and she cooed down at them as she reached into a knapsack and procured an assortment of seeds. 

Her eyes glittered in the sunlight, and an equalling dazzling smile lit up her face as a faun and its mother approached from another part of the forest, intrigued by this visitor in their home.

She plucked out two apples from the same sack, and stretched out her arm for the two deer to smell it.

The mother edged closer before it gave the fruit a tentative lick. Satisfied with what she tasted, she gently took the offering out of the woman’s hand, and her baby bounded behind her to grab its tasty treat. 

She gave the doe a delicate brush across its hide, the creature suddenly feeling at ease by her presence as she hung around for awhile longer, grazing the nearby plants. 

Hector was awestruck, amazed that the animals trusted her so much. He felt a small smile tug at his lips, and he was even more impressed when he noticed that a snake had been coiled around her neck this entire time; the shy reptile laying contently across her shoulders as it absorbed both her heat and that of the sun. 

It struck him as almost odd that he was so enthralled in watching her, and the thought of going up to talk to her briefly crossed his mind. However… he would not even know how to approach the conversation, and just knew he’d say something that’d scare her away.

A twig snapped as he made an attempt to inch closer, and both the deer and the woman immediately perked up at the sound. 

He heard her gasp, and the birds fluttered away as she leaped off of the stump and disappeared into the trees. 

The doe seemed to stare Hector down, an almost annoyed expression resonating in her gaze before she gave an irritated tail flick and proceeded down a path that had most certainly been made by animals. 

Did that deer just try and reprimand him?

He supposed that it was time to start back up on heading into town, but he would be lying if he said that he was not even a little bit disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to speak with this mysterious woman… 

❁❁❁

The next time that Hector ventured out, he had hoped to see her again, if not to try and introduce himself and apologize for his literal peeping.

But when he returned to the tiny grove, there was no one to be found. 

This happened several more times, and he was saddened to think that he had scared her off for good. 

He started to notice that during the times he waited around, the animals she usually visited stopped by every so often. 

The birds would land near the stump and ruffle their feathers, before they broke out into an occasional song, as if calling out to her. 

The doe and her faun would stride up to the clearing and the mother would bow her head slightly, as if honoring the kind presence that once sat there. 

It was disheartening each time she failed to reappear, and as the weeks dragged on, he began to exit the woods in a slightly bitter mood. 

But he would not give up. 

One day, he came up with the idea (and a rather brilliant one, if he could say so himself) of bringing along one of his pets. Perhaps they'd give him a bit of luck and she would be in the woods this time around?

He had been particularly critical on who to bring, for although Cezar would surely be the most excited at meeting someone new, it was… rather  _ obvious _ that he had been reanimated. 

Instead Hector went with a bluejay that he had named Azul. He had found him shortly after he passed away, so there were no clear signs that Hector had brought Azul back to life, save for his now bright blue eyes.

The little bird sat happily on Hector’s shoulder as they entered the forest, and he gave him a gentle scratch under his beak.

He cautiously moved through the weeds and bushes, and he felt his heart skip a beat when his eyes landed on  _ her _ .

She was running her fingers through the feathers of a small screech owl, several songbirds hopping around the stump as they ate the seeds and dried corn she had brought for them.

Hector was so in shock that she was actually there that his body went completely immobile. He had absolutely no idea on what to do, so he just stood there, and would have remained petrified unless Azul had taken the initiative and flown over to her. 

The tiny owl gave an indignant screech when Azul fluttered too close, and lashed out with its talons when he decided to stand on her left knee.

She hushed the larger bird with a soft sound, and placed it on her shoulder so that it would stop misbehaving. 

“Well hello there, little one,” she said to Azul.

The bluejay gave an elated chirp and fluttered onto her index finger, as his tiny feet curled tightly around it. 

She nearly lept out of her skin when she heard the trees be pushed aside, but she stopped for a second when she recognized his eyes. They were the same startling shade of blue that she had seen all those weeks ago. 

“You…” she began, and pointed to Hector. “You’re the one that I saw.”

Azul flew off of her finger in response and landed on Hector’s shoulder, a look of slight surprise on her visage. 

She looked down at the other birds, and then the owl beside her. None of the animals seemed disturbed by his presence, and a couple of the grazing robins even skittered over towards him before they glanced up at him, as if evaluating him.

After several seconds they stopped, and a few even went so far as to affectionately peck at the buckles of his shoes.  

“Is he yours?” she asked, while her gaze rested on Azul. 

Hector smiled and poked the bird on its beak. “Yes, he’s a friend of mine.”   
  
She returned the smile, and stood up, the screech owl letting out a surprised shriek from the sudden movement.

“He is quite lovely. I don’t think I have ever seen a bluejay with eyes like those.” she took a step closer, captivated by Azul’s sapphire iris’.

Hector felt his face heat up as she neared closer, and he let out an awkward cough as he mentioned her owl. “Is he yours?”

She glanced up and chuckled. “Oh no, she and I are just rather close.” 

The owl nibbled on her hand, before it took off into the trees, apparently annoyed that she wasn’t receiving all her desired attention.

“Are you new to the area?” she questioned. “I had never seen you up until that one afternoon.”

Hector fidgeted slightly where he stood, his right hand going to fiddle with the white glove he wore on his other. “Yes, I suppose you could say that.”

“Well as much as I like meeting new people, making acquaintance with someone I thought was spying on me, isn’t exactly the greatest way to begin a friendship.” she teased.

Hector groaned and looked away from her. “My apologies… I never meant to startle you. I was just so entranced by the relationship you have with all of these animals.” 

“Really?” she beamed. 

“Of course. I am very fond of animals as well, so it was rather refreshing to see someone else that has a special connection with them.” 

She gave a delighted laugh, one that sent Hector’s heart aflutter. “I think I’m going to like you.”

❁❁❁

It quickly became a weekly ritual for Hector to leave the castle to meet up with her, and the two soon became very close friends. It was rather embarrassing that by the third time around, she pointed out that he had yet to ask for her name. When she finally told him, he had thought it was so lovely, but only said that,

“It’s nice.” aloud.

They bonded over their love for animals and nature, and when she spoke of interest in the sciences, Hector was delighted to tell her about his knowledge in alchemy.

He was still unsure of how she’d react if ever spoke of the  _ true _ nature of his work, so whenever she happened to drop hints on wanting to know where it is he lived or how he made a living, he would always direct the conversation in another direction.

However he somehow managed to work up the courage and bring Cezar with him one evening. Bringing up the topic was a little awkward within itself, as he mentioned some alchemic concepts, before he went into the idea of forging.

She initially thought he meant forging… with metal, and was stupefied when Cezar charged at her excitedly, his small tag wagging side-to-side.

It was Hector’s turn to be surprised when she accepted him so eagerly into her lap. He noticed that tears brimmed in her eyes, and he was astounded by how…  _ grateful  _ she looked.

“You save the lives of the less fortunate… the ones who are often forgotten… you are so kind.”

He was starting to notice that it was nearly impossible for him to get her out of his mind. Her laugh was unique, her smile was radiant, and her graciousness was unparalleled. He was unaware of this feeling that he felt whenever she crossed his train of thought, so he was not sure how to address it.

Not wanting to appear like a naive child to Dracula or Isaac, he decided that he would bring this up with the next time they met. She had a knack for helping him with his problems, she was a wonderful listener and she gave him very sound advice.

It was a little later than usual when they finally met up, with the moon high in the sky as the stars twinkled. They was a very light breeze that would stir up the trees and grass, but other than that, it was a perfectly clear night.

Butterflies danced in his stomach as she rested her head on his shoulder while the both of them sat on a riverbank. Her feet were in the water, and she would occasionally stretch out her arm so that flying fireflies could find purchase in the palm of her hand.

The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable, not at all. Hector often found himself very calm in her presence, but he was starting to psych himself out of having this discussion.

He cleared his suddenly dry throat, before he said, “Can I… can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Well, I was wondering… I don’t have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, so I was kind of hoping you could help me,” he rambled.

She placed a firm yet gentle grip on his shoulder. “Hector, relax. Just tell me what is on your mind.”

He took a deep breath, grateful to have her there for him. “I… well… I cannot stop thinking about you. Forgive me if that seems at all strange, I do not mean it in any sort of malicious sense. It’s just… I don’t know…”

She blinked, before she tapped her finger against her chin. “I see… what sort of things do you think about?”

“Well…” he began to trace a pattern in the sand to help collect his thoughts. “I think about your laugh, and your smile, and how genuine you are towards nature,” he stopped, and pondered for a moment.

A chill traveled through her body as he turned to face her, his gaze piercing. “And I think about your eyes… and your beautiful hair,” his fingers ran through her locks, and then slid down her neck before they finally rested on her shoulders.

He felt her warm breath against his index finger as he traced it over her mouth. It came out in short, soft gasps, and her gaze landed on his lips as he leaned in to speak.

“And your lovely lips, and how they’d feel against mine.”

She placed her hand on his cheek, and traced the contours of his face. “That’s funny,” she whispered, and leaned closer. “Because I find myself thinking about you all the time too… when I work, when I eat, even when I sleep.”

He let out a gentle sigh as she threaded her fingers through his long silver hair. “Your hair is so gorgeous… its the color of starlight.”

She leaned forward and pressed two kisses to his brow. “Your eyes… they’re what I noticed first about you. They’re just a striking color… they remind me of ice, or crystal clear waters.”

Her arms wrapped around his neck, their foreheads pressed together. “You’re such a gentle soul, Hector… I’m so glad I met you.”

His eyes slipped closed when she kissed him, and he felt his heart soar as she smiled against his lips. He never imagined that someone like him would be deserving of affection… of love, but he felt as though his soul was finally complete as the two embraced under the silver moonlight.


End file.
